Centre directs Punjab government to take action on assistant professor’s harassment complaint

Complainant alleged that the varsity director sexually harassed her by promising her to regularise her job since she is working on contractual basis

: The Union ministry of women and child development has directed the Punjab social security and women and child development department to take action on the complaint of a woman assistant professor of a college under the technical education department.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur.

The assistant professor has alleged that Tajinder Singh Sidhu, director of Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur, sexually harassed her by promising her to regularise her job as she is working on contractual basis.

The state department has forwarded the Union ministry’s direction to the district programme officer (DPO), Gurdaspur, and asked to submit action taken report to the ministry.

“Take an immediate action on the applicant’s complaint and submit a copy of the action taken directly to the ministry with intimation to this department,” the directions further read.

The complainant alleged that she had lodged a number of complaints with the state authorities, but nobody took action against the director due to his political influence.

She also claimed to have audio clips and recordings of the incidents to substantiate her allegations.

Tajinder Singh Sidhu said, “She is making baseless allegations. These are tactics to get regularised. She had lodged a complaint with the police that found her allegations baseless.”